Power Overwhelming

“I CALL UPON THE POWER OF AESARITH, THE GODDESS OF CONTRACTS,” Cerys began the incantation. The magic circles are glowing across the training ground, power gushing from them like a tempestuous wind.

“May she bear witness to this sacred oath, its terms enshrined in her domain,” Cerys continued. “May her hand be the enforcer of this contract, offered to her in humble tribute.”

As her words floated in the air, I could feel an unnatural, unfathomable presence peer at us from the beyond. Lady Aesarith… she’s here with us. Even as a dragon, I’m trembling from the sheer pressure of her gaze.

“Heed me, oh Goddess,” Cerys pressed on, undaunted by the direct attention of a major deity. “I, Cerys’tavelle Cornaya, and my comrades Amelia Schwartz and Lupoxana of the Ferris Tribe, seek to form a contract with John Doe, the great dragon before us.”

Next come the terms of the contract proper.

“We shall offer our strength and our gifts to him,” Cerys detailed, “to protect him from ill and from harm to the greatest extent of our abilities. In exchange, we seek to be bestowed with his arcane gift, that we may wield it as his conduits, to the extent that he sees fit. This, to you and to him, we pledge.”

“This, to you and to him, we pledge,” repeated Xana and Amelia.

“With the Lady as my witness, I accept these terms,” I agreed with my part.

A blinding flash of light burst from the magic circles. It was so incandescent that even my dragon senses couldn’t compensate, dazzling me for a moment.

Then… I heard it.

“IT SHALL BE SO,” the voice of the Goddess echoed in my head, with absolute, unquestionable power. Even to me, in my vast ignorance of the divine, it became clear that the terms we agreed to couldn’t possibly be broken.

Cerys fell to her knees, her strength all but spent.

The magic circles dimmed as the Goddess’ presence faded, until they dissolved entirely into a fine mist. Soon after, the training grounds began to shrink, giving me the signal to transform back into a human.

“Are you alright?” I asked, wrapping myself with a towel before running to Cerys.

“I’m fine,” she said, heaving lightly and sweating. “But would you mind if I take some of your mana? I’ve almost run out.”

“Sure,” I replied. “Take all you need.”

As if driven by instinct, I could feel a freshly made connection to Cerys and the other girls. My aether pathways were connected to theirs… even Xana’s, which seem to have received a significant boost.

Cerys made contact with me, asking for power — a request I happily obliged.

Magical energy flowed from me and into her body, invigorating her. Even at a glance, it was obvious how much her complexion was improving by the second.

However, before Cerys could make comment —

“Magic…” Xana whispered by my side.

I turned to her, and found her looking down at her hands… with a small flame burning brightly between her palms. Our gambit, it seems, had worked.

“I can use magic,” Xana said, looking at me. “I can use magic, John!”

She pounced on me like a lion, crashing with so much force that she almost knocked me over. I managed to stabilize at the last moment, but my towel slipped off to the floor. Not that Xana cared, of course, as she cried loudly in my arms.

“I’ve got magic! I’ve got magic! I’m not a failure anymore!” she wept, hardly able to believe herself. I gently patted her back as her emotions burst from her, and Amelia did me a solid by pulling the towel around my waist and fastening it for me.

“There, there,” I said, consoling the catgirl. “You were never a failure, you know? You’re just a bit stronger now. That’s all.”

Xana nodded, with tears falling from her eyes. It took her a while to collect herself, until she finally calmed down and Amelia pulled her from me.

“Put on some clothes, please,” she said, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I’m right on it,” I replied, walking over to Cerys while Amelia stayed with Xana. Not that I want to be close to Cerys in the nude, mind you. She’s sitting next to my bag.

“Feeling better?” I asked, checking on her condition.

“Words can’t begin to describe,” she said pensively, looking like she’s being overwhelmed by something. “You have no idea what kind of gift you’ve given us, John.”

“That dragon really was something, wasn’t he?” I asked. I’ve wielded its power for a couple of months, so I have some understanding of how vast it is, but Cerys’ perspective as a veteran mage must be completely different from mine.

“That’s an understatement, if I’ve ever heard one,” Cerys replied, smiling awkwardly. “Now that you’ve shared its power with us, there’s no room for question. John, the power in you is that of the Dread Dragon.”

Well, that’s not exactly news. We’d already agreed he was the dragon I ate, so I fail to see what’s so special about confirming it. Not that I’d say it to her, of course.

“It may not mean much to you,” Cerys said, seeing right through me. “But you have to understand, this dragon was Nidhogg. It was the great wyrm that fed on the roots of the World Tree since the dawn of time, and the World Tree is the original source of magic in Krysterios.”

Oh.

“Make no mistake, the dragon was a scourge to this world,” Cerys continued. “Yet, it managed to absorb so much of the essence of the World Tree, that the dragon is as good as an extension of the tree proper. This means it isn’t only draconic magic that you wield, John. It’s the magic of the World Tree itself.”

Oh God. What the hell did I get myself into?

“All my life, I have relied on runes to cast magic for me,” Cerys said, forming a small runic circle atop the palm of her hand. “They’re like scribbles. They are the notes, the lyrics of the music of magic. But the dragon, John… he could simply sing.”

As she said so, Cerys let the runes in her hand disperse, and she conjured a small flame in their place, just like Xana did earlier.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, with a smile as warm as the light of day.

“… It is,” I replied after a brief pause. Cerys looked breathtaking.

I came here to get changed, but the mood doesn’t lend itself to it, does it? I can’t just ask Cerys to turn around while I put on my underwear, or I’d ruin the atmosphere.

Oh well. I’ll sit next to her for a little while.

“John,” she said softly as I settled down.

“Yeah?” I asked, turning to her.

And before I knew it, the sound of a small kiss flew in the air.

I blinked, confused. What the hell happened? My lips feel wet. And Cerys’ face is right in front of me, blushing lightly, with a smile to die for.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice as tender as a spring breeze. “This gift you’ve given me, I will treasure it the rest of my life.”

“You’re… welcome?” I replied, taken aback. What in the world?

“Ah!!” Xana cried in the distance. “Cerys is making out with John!!”

After that, well…

Let’s just say the training grounds got rowdy.