Apep slowly opened her eyes, her head still buzzing.
She felt like she had just had a terrible nightmare. In the dream, she had been brutally violated, humiliated, and even...
"Apep, you're awake?"
Suddenly, Nahida's tiny figure appeared in Apep's field of vision. Nahida's body was stiff, and her gaze toward Apep was strange, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
"Oh, it's you."
Apep replied faintly.
"Are you... alright?"
Nahida hesitated for a long time before finally managing to ask.
"How does your body feel right now?"
"I don't know why, but my body feels so empty, as if it's been hollowed out."
Apep spoke with some confusion.
"Although this should be caused by the Forbidden Knowledge being purged, I feel like something's not quite right. My body feels a bit too empty."
"Empty is right."
Finally, Nahida steeled herself and spoke.
"Apep, congratulations on a safe delivery! It's a healthy dragon baby!"
Nahida tried to use a cheerful tone to lift Apep's spirits, hoping to make her overlook some of the less pleasant details, but she clearly failed.
When Apep heard Nahida's words, her eyes widened abruptly. Then, her mountain-sized body began to shake violently, creating a scene that looked like the apocalypse from a distance.
"Apep, calm down first."
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!"
Apep finally remembered. What she had experienced wasn't a nightmare at all; it was a thousand, ten thousand times more terrifying than any nightmare!
Although she had previously nurtured some elemental life forms within her body, those were like bacteria in a human body—completely different from this.
"Where is that abomination?!"
Apep demanded of Nahida, both ashamed and furious. She swore she would erase this stain from the world today!
Moreover, she now felt a huge chunk of her power had been hollowed out, the loss to her source of power even more severe than before.
Clearly, it was the child she had borne that was responsible. How could she, who had always pursued supreme power, tolerate an existence that had stolen so much of her strength?
"Apep, the child is innocent! Please, be reasonable!"
"Reasonable? What do I have left to be reasonable with?!"
"It doesn't matter who comes today! That thing is not my child—it's a thief that stole my power!"
"Enough, Apep. You're frightening the child."
At that moment, Neuvillette's figure approached unhurriedly from a distance. Trailing behind him was a small silhouette. Her face was like a finely carved jade doll, and her silky hair, transitioning from silver to pale green, cascaded naturally over her shoulders. A pair of small, luminous white horns adorned her forehead. Her wine-red eyes curiously scanned the surroundings, yet she clung tightly to the corner of Neuvillette's coat, following him step by step, wary of potential dangers lurking nearby.
"Neuvillette, get out of my way! I will erase her from this world!"
Although Apep still spoke terrifying words, anyone could tell that her tone had softened considerably compared to before. Even her volume had lowered, giving her a blustering but inwardly weak impression.
The moment she saw the small figure, she sensed an aura of shared origin and her heart instantly melted a little.
Apep wanted to move closer for a better look, but she feared her current appearance would frighten the child. Besides, after throwing such a massive tantrum, backing down so quickly would be too humiliating. So, she disguised her feelings with a harsh tone.
Upon hearing Apep's words, the child immediately hid behind Neuvillette in fear.
Apep's heart tightened, and she suddenly regretted that her voice had still been too loud. But soon, she grew annoyed with herself for even having such thoughts, falling into severe internal conflict.
"Dad, she's so scary. Can we leave this place?"
A soft, sweet voice suddenly sounded from behind Neuvillette, but the words spoken made his composure crack.
That bastard Neuvillette not only wanted to steal her territory and her power, but he even wanted to steal her cub?!
"Let's duel, Neuvillette!"
"Today, either you die or I perish!"
"You've bullied this dragon too much! I'll fight you to the death today!"
Seeing Apep suddenly become so enraged, the corner of Neuvillette's mouth twitched. He silently shook his head, then turned to the small figure and said,
"I am not your dad."
"Dad, don't you want me anymore?!"
Hearing Neuvillette's words, the child's lips trembled as she spoke aggrievedly, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
"I'll be a good girl, please don't abandon me, okay?"
Seeing her so adorable and heart-wrenching, everyone present, both humans and dragon, wished they could immediately pull her into their arms and comfort her.
To prevent Apep from going berserk, Neuvillette suppressed his inner impulse, shook his head, and explained,
"You were born from her."
"Oh, I get it now. She's Mom, right?"
M-Mom?!
Apep froze for a moment. As an elemental being, it actually had no gender; its specific gender could change according to its inner thoughts.
Soon, Apep accepted this new role. After all, her cub was just too adorable!
At that moment, Apep's pronoun shifted from "it" to "she."
However, while she could be the mom, Neuvillette absolutely could not be the dad. This point was crucial and had to be corrected!
Apep wanted to communicate gently with the child, but the words that came out were different.
"It's about time you called me! Get over here now! He's my sworn enemy!"
To Apep's surprise, however, after she finished speaking, the child hugged Neuvillette's leg tightly.
"I don't want to! I don't want to be separated from Dad!"
Seeing this, Apep nearly went mad with jealousy. The surrounding sandstorms showed signs of stirring restlessly, but she quickly suppressed them with her immense power.
"Get over here! He's not your dad!"
Apep spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes fixed on Neuvillette with intense killing intent, instantly making him feel a pressure even heavier than during their previous battles.
"No, he's definitely my dad!"
"If Mom doesn't want Dad, then I don't want Mom either!"
Hearing this, Apep shattered again.
"Neuvillette, what the hell did you do, you bastard?!"
Apep, unable to contain her fury, roared her question at Neuvillette.
She wanted to fight him to vent her inner rage, but she worried that a careless move might harm her child, so she could only resort to a verbal battle.
Neuvillette felt utterly wronged. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened; lately, it seemed he was either taking the blame or on his way to taking it.
How was he supposed to know why? He had no experience with this kind of thing.
"I didn't do anything."
"You think I'd believe your bullshit?!"
Neuvillette sighed helplessly. He had already anticipated this response; it was always the same line, completely unoriginal.
Then again, if she didn't believe him, why bother asking?
Neuvillette pondered for a moment. He guessed it was because he had been worried that Apep would lose control and attack the child after waking up. Combined with the fact that the newborn was curious about everything in this new world, he had taken her for a walk elsewhere.
He had heard that human infants often see the first person they lay eyes on as their closest relative. Could that be the reason?
If that was indeed the case, he wouldn't take the blame. It was Apep's emotional instability that had forced him to take the child away for her own safety.
He had even had Clorinde escort those Cult of the Dragon members back to Fontaine. Otherwise, either Apep would have lost control and killed them, or they would have provoked her to death.
Neuvillette crouched down, trying to soften his expression to appear less stern. He then gently loosened the child's small hands from his clothes and gave her a light push toward Apep, the Dendro Dragon.
"Go on, child. Your mother paid a great price to give birth to you; don't say selfish things that will hurt her."
After hearing Neuvillette's words, Apep, the Dendro Dragon's expression softened slightly.
The child puffed out her cheeks, glanced back at Neuvillette, and only after receiving his encouraging look did she turn back and slowly walk toward Apep, the Dendro Dragon.
At this moment, Apep did her best to conceal her aura, fearing she might frighten the child. She lowered her massive head as much as possible, almost touching the sandy ground.
Although the child's pace was slow, Apep's face showed no trace of impatience. This scene surprised even Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who knew her somewhat well.
Every time she had seen Apep before, the dragon had always carried herself with an air of superiority. She never expected her to become so cautious after having a child.
Moreover, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata also noticed that Apep, the Dendro Dragon's temper was much better than before. It seemed the millennia of pain, torment, and long solitude had changed her significantly.
Just then, Apep suddenly, for no reason, remembered those Cult of the Dragon members calling her a caterpillar. She immediately felt her current posture was all wrong, wondering if she looked too unsightly.
"Mama!"
The small figure threw herself onto Apep, the Dendro Dragon's cheek. Her body stiffened for a moment, then instantly relaxed. At that moment, her entire heart melted.
Apep carefully nuzzled the child's cheek with her own, the smile on her face growing wider.
However, what shocked Apep was that besides the Dendro aura they shared, the child also carried a strong Hydro Element aura.
And that Hydro Element aura was identical to Neuvillette's, though the power was so faint it was almost imperceptible without careful sensing.
Why would a child born from her body carry Neuvillette's aura?
Apep was stunned. Could it be that while she was unconscious, Neuvillette had taken advantage of her vulnerability and... defiled her?
Damn you, Neuvillette!
"Neuvillette, from now on, don't show your face here! You're not welcome!"
Apep shielded the child with her body while glaring fiercely at Neuvillette.
She had no proof and knew Neuvillette would never admit it, so she decided to drive him away quickly to get him out of her sight.
Feeling Apep, the Dendro Dragon's murderous gaze on him again, Neuvillette was completely baffled about what had gone wrong this time.
Never mind, he thought. As long as Apep doesn't have any ill intentions toward the child, it's fine.
Although the child's birth was an accident, it was still an innocent life. If Apep had insisted on harming the child, he would have taken the child away, even if it meant turning against her.
But now, Apep's reaction was much better than he had expected. It seemed the child was just too endearing.
Neuvillette cast one last gentle look at the child, then nodded to Nahida. The two of them rose into the air and departed.
Next on their agenda was discussing the cooperation between Sumeru and Fontaine.
But just then, a small figure struggled out from the gaps in Apep, the Dendro Dragon's coiled body, then, on its surprisingly fast short legs, chased after Neuvillette and Nahida.
"Dad, don't leave me!"
"Come back!"
Seeing this, Apep panicked. Her massive body immediately moved, causing the ground to shake violently.
She had left gaps in her coils earlier, fearing she might hurt the child. She never expected the child to be so determined to follow Neuvillette and reject her, its mother. Apep's hatred and frustration toward Neuvillette surged.
Finally, watching her child's figure recede into the distance, Apep considered for a moment. Her body rapidly transformed, finally taking the form of a heroic and striking young woman, her most prominent feature being her long, ink-green hair symbolizing life.
Apep had transformed into a human because she suspected her child's closeness to Neuvillette was due to his human form.
Her child was human, Neuvillette was human, and she was a caterpillar... no, a dragon. She felt so out of place.
Although Apep didn't know why her child was born in human form, she held no prejudice against it. Her child was the cutest in the world, and no arguments were accepted!
If she also transformed into a human, her child would surely grow closer to her, right?!
After only a moment's thought, the small figure was about to disappear from her sight. Seeing this, Apep frantically rushed in that direction.
Child, don't run so fast! Wait for Mom!