A Journey That Changed The World.



[Brooke's POV]

Brooke spent days in a daze as the Shadowfang Doctors tended to her wounds, which were gradually healing. Once they left, Mei and her maid appeared; the black-haired dragon woman asked, "Lady Brooke, do you want to join us in the palace baths?"

She looked at the young woman and smiled, "Yes, that would be nice. I need to leave this room as it's driving me crazy."

Mei and the maid giggled, "I agree. Come with us, the baths are close by."

Brooke nodded before grabbing the robe next to her and following the young dragon out the door. While walking, she noticed Mei's tail swaying side to side as she looked back and asked, "What is the White Dragon like? Merchants speak of a devil who kills whoever he wants and kidnaps princesses?"

She chuckled and nodded. "Archer is a unique boy. He can be compassionate yet ruthless. He crucified a group of corrupt nobles on Pluoria and annihilated an entire kingdom that attacked his fiancée's homeland."

Mei's eyes widened in shock. "So he's not a good person?"

"Is anyone good, Mei? Archer's people see him as their king and savior, while the

Novgorodians and Church of Light see him as the devil. It's subjective, just like most things in life," Brooke answered.

The dragon woman stopped walking before nodding, agreeing, "That makes sense. Nothing is black and white in this world."

She smiled, "Exactly."

After that, the three walked through the Shadowfang Palace's corridors as people and officials hurried around. She noted that the palace wasn't overly decorated, reflecting an empire that didn't squander gold like many other imperial families.

Mei led her through the maze-like hallways for ten minutes until they reached a beautiful bathroom with a large bath at its center. Sunlight streamed through the windows,

illuminating the room.

The maid stood to the side, waiting patiently. Mei dropped her dress and stepped into the hot water, breaking the silence. Brooke followed suit and got into the giant bath before getting comfortable.

Her long brown hair was tied into a ponytail, so it wasn't annoying, causing her to relax even better. Minutes passed in silence before the black dragon woman spoke, "Will the White Dragon bow down to mother and father?"

When Brooke heard this, she started to laugh, which confused Mei and the maid, who looked at her with concerned expressions. She soon calmed down and spoke, "If you even try to do that, he won't like it. The only time that boy is on his knees is when his tongue is pleasuring one of his girls."

Mei's cheeks went bright red, which caused her green eyes to glint as she teased the Shadowfang Princess, "Oh goddess Mei, even speaking about that boy's tongue makes me tingle. He's tongue is the weakness of women."'

She quickly noticed the maid looked curious even though her whole face was bright red, which Brooke found amusing. So she continued, "He may be my grandson and Little Light, but the boy is a devil in the sheets. Wait until he sees you, Mai. I know her like exotic and mysterious girls."

Both women went as red as tomatoes, which made Brooke laugh even more before she started washing herself. Soon, Mei began to do the same thing as she questioned, "How was Draconia handling the invasion?"

"Archer increased recruitment of the army and navy while building hundreds of forts dotting the land. How did Shadowfang handle everything?"

"Mother and Father burned any army that stepped foot on our land. It worked out well, but the attacks seem to increase as the days pass," the dragon woman revealed.

She nodded, "Yeah, something tells me when the girls return to Draconia, Archer will be enraged, which means he will attack the Swarm directly."

Mei's eyes widened before she questioned, "Would he attack them?"

"Yes, especially when he finds out they are aiding the Church of Light in trying to kill him," Brooke answered.

"Why does the church hate him? They send their priests to the other empires on Orientia to preach against the White Dragon," the maid spoke up, her tone laced with curiosity.

"You see, Archer is the king of all dragons, the first of his species. The White Dragon was the first dragon Tiamat created, made in her image as she sought someone to stand beside her. She chose him, and from all I've heard, the dragon goddess loves him dearly," Brooke explained.

Mei nodded in understanding before falling quiet and continuing to wash herself, which Brooke had just finished. Once dressed, they left the bathroom, and the dragon woman led her to the dining room.

When they arrived, no one was inside, causing her to question, "Where is your family?"

"The princes fight on the borders while my sisters study in the academy. They returned in the summer,'' Mei explained. "Mother is down south dealing with the water dragons while the father is fighting a swarm champion to the west."

She nodded before taking a seat that the dragon woman motioned to. Afterward, she looked at the maid, who bowed and rushed to the kitchen to retrieve their food. The two of them continued to talk.

The dragon princess asked Brooke for help against the Swarm attacking the empire, to which she agreed. Once they were done talking, the maid returned with three bowls of noodles. When Brooke saw this, she looked at Mei, and the dragon girl giggled. "I like normal food instead of what all the nobles eat. I especially love spicy noodles, and Yu knows how to cook them well," she said with a smile.

***

[Sia's POV]

A few hours later, Sia woke up to find Tiamat informing her that she needed to travel towards the Verdantia continent with the Arachne, but they had to wait until Mary woke up. Sighing, Sia got up and stretched her arms.

She observed the spider people bustling about their tasks. Some were disposing of monster corpses, while others stood guard in the tunnels. Webbing covered everything except for a path left clear for her.

Afterward, Sia retrieved some food from her storage ring and searched for wood. She stumbled upon old barrels, which she dismantled to create a firepit to cook some of the meat she had taken out.

Sia also used some stone to create a ring. She then used a fireball to generate a fire before cooking the meat, which caught all of Arachne's attention. Shila approached her with a curious glint in her eight eyes.

The dragonkin woman laughed, "What's wrong, Shila? You look like I've just stolen your

eggs," she giggled.

Upon hearing this, some of the Arachne hissed defensively, shielding their young, which amused Sia. She began cooking the meat, adding spices that filled the air with a delicious

aroma.

The scent caused the spider people to retreat slightly as Shila asked, "What is that? Why are you putting it on the meat?"

"It makes the meat taste better," Sia explained while turning it. "I have a few spices in my storage ring. Want to taste some?"

Shila nodded before getting close to the fire as sia remembered the dream and asked, "Can we travel to any continent from here?"

The spider woman nodded, "Yes, it is a long and dangerous journey, but thanks to our

goddess, we've prepared for it for many moons.'

Sia's eyes widened, "Your goddess prepared you for this?'

"Yes," Shila answered. "She showed my mother's best friend who prepared us for this

moment."

The dragonkin woman smiled in relief before taking the meat from the fire and starting to eat

it. Sia loved every second of it as the flavors exploded in his mouth, making her want more,

which she did.

Soon enough, she was full and lying beside Mary, sleeping on the bed. Sia watched her quietly but screamed as the grey-haired woman suddenly opened her green eyes, which sparkled with

amusement.

Sia tumbled off the bed, making Mary laugh. The noise, however, quickly ceased as the Arachne backed off, raising their weapons. The Primordial smiled and said, "Little spiders, if you keep acting like this, I will start hunting you, which would be bad for everyone." The spider woman Shila stiffened when hearing this, but she quickly nodded in agreement, causing Mary to beam, "Now where are we and who are you?" she said to Sia while pointing at

the Arachne,

"Well, that's a long story," Sia responded. "Now sit down, fill your belly, and listen to the story I'm about to tell you."

Mary nodded before grabbing one of the sticks and tasting the monster meat, which she found delicious. Sia then explained everything that had happened and how the Arachne worshiped Archer, shocking the gray-haired woman.

As they ate, the Arachne gradually got used to Mary's presence as a Nameless being. Once they finished eating, the spiders started down a tunnel that Shila said led north.

While walking, the two women tried to contact the others but had no luck. Shila explained that the rocks blocked magic. They continued their journey until two Cave Trolls appeared in a

small chamber.

Mary entered and stopped them with a wave of her hand before destroying them with a Primordial spell called Annihilation. The magic wiped out the trolls as the group continued walking down the dark tunnel.

Many monsters fled into cracks and crevices when they sensed Mary, who strolled with a happy smile. When Sia saw this, she commented, "Why are you so happy?"

"A strong enemy is closing in, and I want a challenge," the grey-haired woman replied. She rushed to the front just as a Cave Rhino charged out of the darkness as if on cue.