"Who are you and where is my young master?"
The air in the room froze. For a long second no one spoke, only the sounds of bated breathing could be heard as the question began to settle over them.
As newcomers to Ignivar, Lilith and Anantashesha knew little to nothing about their husband-to-be. All they had heard about him were the rumors that had circulated publicly, and none of them were good.
This was the origin of Lilith's original dissatisfaction when she had first arrived, though after the bizarre initial introduction they both had earlier, her thoughts toward this fiancee of hers had become a little harder to read.
But even without having had a proper conversation with him, just his current bearing and presence were worlds apart from what she had heard. Therefore, in her mind, Garren's question was quite valid.
This version of Nevaris was nothing like the rumors. Either they were grossly exaggerated, or the person in front of them wasn't Nevaris at all.
And as far as shy Ana was concerned…
'H-He's so handsome! Is he really m-my future h-h-hus–KYAAA~!'
Ana is indeed a simpleminded young lady.
Facing Garren's piercing gaze, Nevaris swallowed the uncomfortable itch in his throat and said, "We have already been through this. I am Nevaris, the one and only. Sure I've changed a bit but there are reasons for that."
The intensity in Garren's gaze didn't lessen, in fact it intensified by several degrees as his slit-like pupils narrowed further.
"Would you mind explaining those reasons then?" Garren pressed.
Nevaris' mind began rifling through excuses, searching for some sort of plausible explanation to get himself out of this sudden crisis and buy himself some time.
But the old dragon was clearly not in a patient mood. An oppressive force descended onto the room, making even breathing a difficult task.
Even though they weren't even the targets of Garren's coercion, the two women's faces paled as they experienced waves of nausea under his pressure.
Nevaris gritted his teeth as his face turned pale and then flushed red. For the first time since coming to this world, he had finally felt fear.
He knew that no matter how much he struggled, how much he resisted and rebelled. There was no chance for him to fight back.
He was weak.
Pitifully weak.
And that realization filled him with a euphoria that bordered on ecstasy.
"Haha…HAHAHAHA!" Nevaris devolved into manic laughter.
His laughter caused Garren's eye to twitch almost imperceptibly while his bewildered fiancees stared at his crazed appearance in shock.
Against all expectation, Nevaris rose slowly from his seat. Every cell in his body revolted against the motion. His very nature seemed to want to submit to the overwhelming presence of the dragon before him.
But even then, his blood boiled. It circulated through his body like molten metal to the point light wisps of steam began to rise from his exposed skin.
Nevaris stood defiantly in front of Garren, a distorted smile exposing his jagged fangs as he began to speak. "You think you can question me? Order me around like I'm your dog?"
Not expecting such a violent reaction from him, Garren's face twisted in astonishment as he watched the boy he had always considered a coward stand up to his oppressive pressure.
'No, not just that.' Garren's eyes widened further in shock as he realized something that made him question everything he ever knew. 'He is resisting…overpowering my bloodline suppression. A mere wyrm is standing against me, a dragon!?'
Not giving him the chance to speak, Nevaris pressed on, the fleeting aura around his body beginning to tangibly manifest as the skin beneath his eyes began to crack in small web-like fractures.
"I don't care who you are, how strong you are. Hell you could be the one true God for all I care!"
As he spoke, his tongue transformed and split at the end, elongating like the forked tongue of a serpent. His pupils narrowed into sharp slits as the mercury within them seemed to swirl like deep whirlpools.
When he spoke again, his voice carried a certainty that those listening would obey.
A finality that can not be profaned.
"You do not stand above me. You do not control me. I am Nevaris Aurelion. The only true Nevaris Aurelion. Even if you stand stronger than me now, eventually I will sink my fangs in you. And when I do, there will be no begging, no mercy. Only the fate of all weak prey…"
Nevaris' smile distorted further. The cracks around his eyes spread further as his aura grew heavier.
"...the fate of being devoured."
By this point Garren's presence had been completely overpowered by Nevaris' momentum. The dragon blood he had taken pride in all his life failed him. Cowering within his body like a wounded animal.
With a thud, Garren fell to his knees before Nevaris as he looked up at his young master in shock. The room was so silent not even the sounds of breathing could be heard.
Lilith sat on the couch with an unnatural flush on her rosy cheeks. Her eyes were heated as she watched the entire exchange in a state of disbelief and quiet rapture.
A familiar weightlessness entered her mind as her arachne instincts began to take over again. Just as the powerful flood of emotions began to overwhelm her consciousness she bit her lips, drawing blood as she regained control of herself.
Lilith's brows furrowed slightly as she cursed inwardly, 'These damn instincts, why are they acting up now? And for the bastard I was sold to of all people!?'
Lilith's fists clenched tightly as her amethyst-like eyes flashed with hatred and unwillingness. 'Those damn bitches. This isn't over, when I get back to Crynthara I'll teach them what true despair looks like.'
Calming herself, she turned her gaze back to the otherworldly presence of Nevaris. A subtle light flashed through her eyes, but her thoughts remained tightly wrapped within the vast web of her mind.
Meanwhile…
'S-S-S-So cool! N-Nevaris is so cool!!' Ana gushed inwardly.
There was a fanatic zeal in her eyes that the iron mask on her face couldn't hide. Her heart pounded heavily as she watched him stand up to the bloodline pressure of a dragon as nothing but a wyrm.
'H-He is a serpent just like me a-and yet he is able to stand his ground against our subjugators.' The admiration in her thoughts couldn't be hidden, but beneath that admiration, a seed of hope began to sprout, 'Maybe–Maybe that voice was telling the truth…could he really be able to solve my curse.'
Both women, each with their own thoughts, continued to watch this increasingly mysterious fiancee of theirs. The tumorous seed of curiosity already planted firmly in their hearts.
…
Garren's thoughts were a mess.
'H-How? How is this possible? How is he able to stand?' he screamed in his mind.
Nevaris, as the product of the union between a dragon and a mere serpent race member, should have been born as nothing but a lesser wyrm or wyvern at the most. But due to the unique status of his mother being both a true dragon and a silver comet dragon, he was born as a silver wyrm.
A unique variant of wyrm that was significantly stronger than its counterparts, but still weaker than lesser dragons, not to mention true dragons. Don't let the "lesser" in the name fool you, a dragon is still a dragon.
They are destruction and carnage manifest. Forces of nature that lie on the destructive side of the spectrum.
But Nevaris just now, broke every known truth of Garren's reality.
A wyrm standing up, no, shredding the bloodline suppression of a dragon, lesser or otherwise, was an impossibility that couldn't change.
That…shouldn't have changed.
Looking up the towering figure before him, Garren felt no anger. No despair.
He felt a profound sense of joy. Before he knew it his cheeks were wet. Tears slid down his face as he lowered himself further and bowed to the young serpent before him.
"Your servant admits his fault. I am willing to accept any punishment." Garren managed to say through choked gasps.
Stunned by the sudden shift in mood, Nevaris' terrifying aura dissipated as the tension in his broad frame ebbed away.
Scratching his head sheepishly, he said, "Hehehe, no worries old man. I kinda flew off the handle for a second there. All the intense new emotions are hard to deal with. I almost wanted to devour your entirety for a second there."
Garren: "..."
Lilith: "..."
Ana: "...s-so cool…"
Lilith shot the girl who had been cowering at their mere gazes just moments earlier and wondered whether her mind had finally broken.
'*Sigh*, looks like it will be difficult for someone like me with their head on straight to get along with these nutcases.'
(Author: "...")
Ignoring the deadpan looks he was getting, Nevaris helped Garren to his feet and patted his shoulder like an old friend.
"I know you have some questions, but can we eat first? I feel like there is a black hole in my stomach and I have no wish to experience that again."
Garren cast him a strange glance before leading the way out of the room.
Turning to his fiancees with a wide grin, Nevaris said, " Let's have a real talk over a warm meal. There are some things we have to discuss."