The Flames of Progress, Pt. 3

Pure white fire erupted from my hands!

...

It turned out to be a grave miscalculation.

For the flame merely pinged off its scales…

And she proceeded to look straight at me.

I missed the device?!

The dragon howled, sure… but otherwise the [White Flame] didn’t do much lasting damage.

What I did ensure was that it was remarkably much more pissed off than before!

But the dragon didn't just sit there and take it.

It used its massive claws to climb down the palace walls, bricks falling and tipping over, moving way too fast for me to get off another blast of White Flame cleanly!

And it was heading straight toward me.

Needless to say, I screamed for dear life.

"AIEEE!!"

Inexplicably, a golden tendril exploded out of my chest, and all I felt for ten microseconds were raw, unfiltered emotion—madness, anger, cowardice… and soon, warmth, comfort, love.

The air around me shimmered and reality bent.

And before my eyes, manifesting out of thin air was Daisy?!

“How?” I cried. “How?!”

“Are you okay?” Daisy immediately asked me.

“How did you know how to teleport?!”

“I didn't! And I love questioning the gift horse as much as the next person but we don’t have time! So: Endo!” She cracked her knuckles. “Requesting permission to transform!”

The answer was obvious. “DO IT!”

Soon enough, Daisy transformed. She gained muscle, growing inches taller. Stage 3 possessed Daisy was here on the playing field!!

[Malmitres Form Activated!!]

“WHO ARE YOU TO LAY A FINGER ON MY PRIZE?!” she howled.

Daisy soon disappeared from my sight, but not before leaving a gust of wind in her wake!

She reappeared before my very eyes in front of the dragon! One hand extended, she merely left her hand hanging as the dragon pounced!!

The dragon slammed against her palm. Wind blew its wake as it was halted!

And Malmitres hadn’t moved an inch. She was immovable!

And the possessed girl laughed like an absolute maniac the whole time.

"AHAHAHAHA! Finally! I AM FREE!!"

I thought back as to how I ‘summoned’ her in the first place. That’s when I remembered… the Golden Contract!

It had activated in my moment of need, just like I'd written it.

My business acumen—all those careful clauses about "protection in times of mortal peril"—had actually saved my life. 

I looked back at the scene, and saw the dragon dazed and dizzy, stumbling all around the courtyard before collapsing on its hindlegs.

Brilliant. That was my chance!

I lifted one hand. I saw circles of magic thrumming and appearing around my wrists before unleashing my biggest effort yet.

[ULTIMATE SPELL: WHITE FLAME!!]

In a split second, the white beam connected, and the recoil hurled me backward.

The mind-control device simply crumbled: metal and crystal bursting into a silver haze of confetti that sparkled briefly before fading into nothing.

The dragon let loose its most agonizing screech yet. The sound split the air, so raw it made my teeth ache. She staggered like a drunken child through the courtyard, claws dragging ragged trenches into the stone.

One paw scraped the palace wall for balance, the other clutching desperately at her bleeding skull.

And as I’d hoped—the dragon's eyes began to clear of that grey fog.

She shook her massive head and moaned, lowering herself shakily back onto all fours. Honestly, I would’ve too if I’d been blasted like that.

All the while, I braced for another barrage of [White Flame].

But I don’t think I needed to.

Because without another sound, and still bleeding profusely, she unfurled her wings. The gust nearly bowled me over.

In one brutal beat, she rose skyward.

For a fleeting moment Posteria’s barrier shimmered against her bulk—then dissipated, shattering like glass, just long enough for the dragon to squeeze through and vanish into the clouds.

The adrenaline bled out of me in an instant. My legs felt like putty. I collapsed onto my back, chest rising and falling, eyes shutting as the ache of every bruise caught up to me.

Until one thought jolted me upright.

I scanned the courtyard. Through the haze of smoke and the faint drizzle of ash, I found Stage 3 Daisy smirking—far, far too smugly for my liking.

I stumbled after her.

“I hope you realize me standing still is already a sign of my cooperation,” Malmitres said once I got closer.

“Then you realize… you’ll have to retreat back.”

“What would it take for you to let me out for longer periods of time?”

“Until I’m sure you’re not a danger to anyone…” I heaved. “But more than that—until Daisy’s comfortable with it.”

“You do know we’re the same person, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then you know how it feels to be trapped in your own body, watching a disconnected part of you control everything. It’s claustrophobic.”

“Maybe so. But given the torture you inflicted on others, I’d say this is a fitting punishment.”

“You don’t have to believe me, but… I think I’m starting to see the benefits of peasant life. It’s peaceful. A different kind of power.”

“I’m glad you see that. You’ll feel it even more once Daisy comes back.”

...

"Don't demean me. It's insulting."

Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, Daisy crumpled.

Golden Contracts really are busted. Thanks, Malmagos.

I lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

“I did good, didn’t I?” she whispered.

“More than I could’ve ever hoped.”

“Yayyy…” Her eyes sparkled faintly before fluttering shut.

My cheeks burned. A normally closed-off Daisy feeling safe enough to fall asleep in my arms…

The feeling was indescribable.

The outside world crept back in.

Cheers rose from below the palace—roaring, jubilant, alive. Probably the most excitement this place had seen in years just unfurled.

I couldn’t help smiling as I held Daisy close.

Then footsteps echoed across the broken courtyard stones.

Calilah appeared from the smoke gusts. “By Gol Dot’s grace, you are truly a miracle worker, Cotter.”

I scratched the back of my head. “I just did the best I could.”

“I owe an eternal debt to you two, and to the Mother. Though your deeds have left me with more questions than answers…”

I gulped.

“You’ll indulge me, won’t you?”