---
We were an odd pair.
Her—barefoot, flame-wrapped, otherworldly beautiful with eyes like twin suns. Me—mud-splattered, sleep-deprived, still trying to process that I'd apparently hatched a goddess and was now walking through the woods with her clinging to my side like a lovesick flame spirit.
Every time I tried to put some distance between us, she'd pull me right back in—either by wrapping her arm through mine or resting her head against my shoulder like it was her personal perch. Her body ran hot, always a few degrees above human. I kept sweating through my flame-woven shirt.
"Must you walk so far from me?" she whispered, her voice silken with curiosity.
"We're literally touching, Vera," I muttered.
She just smiled, like she hadn't heard me—or had, and didn't care.
When we reached the outskirts of the town, she stopped cold. Her eyes widened as her head slowly turned, taking in the buildings, the stone roads, the smell of cooked food and distant laughter.
"This world has changed much since I slept," she murmured, almost in awe. "So many lights. And… noise."
"You'll get used to it," I said.
She leaned close. "I will. As long as you're with me."
I didn't know how to respond to that. So I cleared my throat and looked away, pretending the cracked cobblestone underfoot suddenly needed my full attention.
---
We didn't stay in town long. Too many stares. She looked too divine for the simple clothes made of flame, and I looked too out of place beside her. I caught the suspicion in the guards' eyes. The fear. We left before dusk, heading toward a village further south where I hoped to find an inn that didn't ask questions.
We didn't make it.
Halfway through the thick woods, the trap was sprung.
A sharp twang—an arrow thudded into a tree beside my head.
I dropped low, pulling Vera behind me on instinct. She didn't resist. Just laughed softly, as though amused.
Bandits.
Six of them emerged from the underbrush. Mismatched armor, greasy grins, rusted blades. None looked particularly threatening—but the way they moved, they weren't amateurs either.
"Well, well," the leader smirked. "Look what we have here. Boy thinks he's escortin' a princess. How 'bout you leave her with us and walk away with your limbs, eh?"
"She's not someone you want to touch," I warned, standing slowly. My hands were raised in peace, but inside my gut churned.
They chuckled. One licked his lips.
Vera tilted her head, eyes glowing faintly. "Auno?"
I flinched. "Wait, not yet. Just give them a chance."
I stepped forward. "You don't know who you're threatening. I'm telling you now—you'll regret this."
One laughed. "We regret nothing, boy. Except not robbin' you sooner."
The all laughed.
I sighed.
Turned to Vera.
Then nodded.
That was the signal.
Vera's form shimmered, heat spiraling around her like a cyclone. Her body grew—skin bursting into glistening crimson scales, limbs elongating, wings unfurling like molten sails. In seconds, where a woman once stood was now a dragon—towering, radiant, and horrifying in beauty and rage.
The forest lit up in fiery gold as she roared behind me. Trees shook. The ground trembled.
The bandits? They screamed. One dropped his sword and pissed himself. Two bolted instantly, crashing through the woods like panicked deer. The others fell to their knees.
"I-I'm sorry!" one sobbed. "Please! We didn't know!"
Vera inhaled, throat glowing with inner flame.
"Please—wait!" One of them shouted.
Too late.
The devouring flames surged past me, a controlled blaze that only touched the four closest to her—consuming them in heat and light. No screams. Just ash.
The ones who ran? I didn't have time to feel sorry for them.
Vera lowered her head and looked at me with a wicked glint.
"Shall we chase?" she asked, voice echoing in my mind like thunder wrapped in silk.
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
---
I held tight to the ridge of her back as she soared over the treetops, the wind screaming in my ears. The world blurred beneath us—until she spotted them, racing through a clearing.
She dropped like a diving hawk.
They didn't stand a chance.
She landed hard, the earth splitting beneath her claws. They froze—caught. Cornered. Their legs gave out.
"I need what they took," I said, hopping off her side as she loomed behind me. "Supplies. Food. Tools. Things I can use once we get to the village."
Vera's eyes glowed again as she raised a clawed foot.
"Wait—don't burn them!" I added.
She paused.
Then stomped them into the ground, hard and crushed every bone in their bodies.
As I gathered the stolen satchels, she shrank again—crimson flame swirling down until she stood before me in her original form.
Naked. Again.
I blinked. "We're seriously doing this again?"
She smirked.
Flames danced across her skin, weaving into minimal, form-fitting clothes that still left little to the imagination—barely a dress, more like a burning suggestion.
I stood there, still catching my breath, while she stepped over the bandit's remains like a goddess born of fire and fury. Her body glowed with the last wisps of power, curves wrapped in flame, and she didn't seem to care—or notice—the way the world itself seemed to bend around her presence.
She turned to me, eyes burning gold, lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Let's go, Auno."
I nodded, still half in shock, and followed her as we made our way toward the village… where absolutely no one would believe what just happened.
And somehow, I had the feeling the real madness hadn't even started yet.
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