86 No Matter How Strong You Are
A few days after asking Dad and Mom for help, Noia indeed stopped having that strange dream.
Her health was also gradually improving.
Just when Noia thought she had completely rid herself of the whole Primal Power thing, the Ancestor from a millennia ago continued to haunt her.
One deep night, Noia was snuggled up with Moon, inhaling the gentle fragrance of her hair and feeling her sister’s soft embrace, soundly asleep.
But soon, deep in her dream-filled mind, she seemed to find herself in a strange, tranquil space.
Surrounded by an ethereal atmosphere, she saw dark golden walls, and beneath her was a calm surface of water.
Noia was standing above the water, and the clear water beneath her was rippling in circles, expanding outward with the rhythm of her breath.
It was incredibly quiet, quiet enough for Noia to only hear her own heartbeat and the dripping sound coming from the darkness.
“Is this… another dream?”
She had never encountered such a scene in her previous dreams.
Moreover, Noia understood the feeling within a dream.
Void, elusive, powerless—everything seemed so close yet felt as distant as if it were at the ends of the earth.
But at this moment, the realism here far surpassed any dream-like sensation.
She made her way deeper along the dark golden corridor.
However, after walking for quite a while, the surroundings showed no signs of change.
This forced Noia to stop. She stood still, closed her eyes, and held her breath, trying to concentrate to escape this dream-like place.
Yet when she opened her eyes again, she was still right where she was.
“What in the world is this…”
Noia muttered softly, then slowly crouched down.
She extended her hand, tentatively touching the water surface with her fingertips and brought it to her nose to sniff.
No smell; it should just be plain old water.
But she had never learned the skill to stand on water; that was a type of magic that required finesse in manipulating mana.
Just as Noia pondered, the originally calm water surface suddenly began to ripple.
She jumped up, alertly observing her surroundings.
But all she could see were the dark golden walls and even deeper darkness.
Noia furrowed her brows, and in an instant, she seemed to realize something.
“The source of the tremor is… beneath the water!”
Just as Noia pieced this together, the water surface burst apart, and an enormous surge of water shot up.
Noia swiftly retreated, creating distance while stabilizing herself, her right hand gathering lightning magic.
She stared intently at the water curtain, patiently waiting for whatever it was to reveal itself.
Seconds later, the water dissipated, and the ‘creature’ that burst from below finally showed its form.
Noia widened her eyes slightly, for standing before her was—
The giant white dragon from her dreams.
“Primal Dragon King… Noia.”
But this Primal Dragon King was much smaller than she had seen in her dream.
Noia didn’t dare let her guard down, the lightning magic in her hand bursting forth with crackling chirps.
Meanwhile, the white dragon looked down with an air of supremacy at the little creature before it.
After a moment of mutual staring, the grand voice of the dragon echoed,
“Noia K. Melkway, we finally meet face to face after your monthly fee of six nine four nine three six one five!”
Noia’s heart stirred; she was somewhat surprised.
The legendary hero of the Dragon Race turned out to be a… female dragon?
What troubled Noia even more was, “You know me?”
“I’ve been lurking in your consciousness for half a month; of course I know you.”
“My… consciousness?”
“Correct. Look around, this tranquil yet dark golden palace that harbors infinite dangers is your consciousness.”
The white dragon paused for a moment before adding, “Although I don’t know what others’ consciousness looks like, yours… truly surprises me.”
Surprises her?
Noia savored the dragon’s earlier words—
‘This tranquil yet dark golden palace that harbors infinite dangers’.
She clearly saw the tranquility and darkness;
But what on earth did it mean to harbor infinite dangers?
Before Noia could ask, the dragon continued,
“When I chose you in the Northern Ruins, perhaps it really was the right decision.”
“You chose me in the Northern Ruins?”
This statement struck a chord with Noia.
Now was not the time to ramble with this old mystic. She hastily inquired about her primary concern,
“Why are you in my consciousness? Was it you who tormented me with nightmares these past few days?”
“Mind your tone when addressing this king, little one. Do you think the one before you is just anyone? I am the Ancestor of the Dragon Race, the first Dragon King in history, the hero who ended the Dragon Race’s civil war, and—”
“And an old coot who sneakily creeps into people’s brains without permission and then rambles on.”
“…Impertinent! Don’t think that because I haven’t restored my power, I can’t do anything to you. If I wanted to, I could still control your body.”
Upon hearing this, Noia seemed to grasp a critical clue. “Control my body? So, could my exhaustion every time I woke up be related to you?”
The white dragon scoffed disdainfully, “Fearful, aren’t you, little brat?”
“Don’t call me a little brat, and answer my question—why are you in my head?”
“This is not your head, it’s the consciousness space. Please be precise with your wording when addressing this king.”
What a word-obsessed old mystic.
Noia raised her hands in exasperation, pretending to act unreasonable. “Whether it’s a brain or a consciousness space, it’s still mine, so I can call it whatever I want.”
Dad had taught her some negotiation techniques.
The most important rule was never to let the other party lead her by the nose; she had to control the narrative and initiative.
Even if it involved playful banter or being a little brazen, she couldn’t follow the other person’s thought process, or else she’d be led astray.
“You!——Fine, I won’t argue with a little brat like you. It demeanors my status.”
“Answer the question, you mystic.” Noia pressed forward, the patience in her tone from earlier fading away.
Without a doubt, if this cryptic figure in front of her didn’t answer directly soon, she would have to resort to some forceful means.
After all, this old mystic had admitted its power wasn’t restored yet.
“Why I appeared in your consciousness, hmm…”
The white dragon slowly lowered its head, bringing its dragon snout to Noia’s face, its vertical, slit pupils reflecting her innocent yet determined expression.
“I believe you are more suited to be my messenger compared to that red fire-breathing lunatic.”
“Messenger?”
“Indeed. I need your body to accomplish a great undertaking; you shall be my messenger.”
“What great undertaking?”
“None of your business.”
Noia hated riddles.
Chatting with Dad was a lot more straightforward.
However, Noia didn’t pursue this query further. Since the old mystic didn’t plan to divulge anything, no amount of probing would yield more answers.
So Noia tried a different approach. “Since you’ve lurked in my consciousness for so long, why reveal yourself now?”
“Because of your parents.”
“My parents?”
“Your father is clever and highly alert; if I continued to secretly use your body, he would likely discover me.”
The dragon said slowly, “Your mother has mastered the Primal Power. No matter how much power I gather using your body, if she finds out, she can extract it from you, and I would be left with nothing.”
“So, rather than sneaking around, it’s better to meet you directly, perhaps we can establish a cooperative relationship.”
Noia was well aware of what Dad and Mom were capable of.
From the reply, she also grasped a key piece of information,
“You’re using my body to gather Primal Power?”
“Yes, this is a crucial step in helping me restore my physical form and strength.”
Noia’s thoughts stirred, and she sneered, “Hmph, do you think I would agree to such an unfair arrangement?”
“Little brat, becoming my messenger is your honor; how dare you refuse.”
“Old mystic, residing in this princess’s brain is also your honor. Don’t bargain with me.”
“Hey, you little brat!——”
Dad was right; sometimes, playful banter mixed with a bit of bravado could help keep the conversation firmly in her control.
This method was indeed effective.
But the question was, how did Dad know that?
Hiss~~
Could it be…that this currently reliable married man was also a carefree kid at one point?
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll just take over your body right now?”
“Ha.”
“…What’s so funny?”
Noia crossed her arms, her demeanor calm, even bearing a hint of disdain.
“If you could easily take over my body, you would have done it already without wasting time discussing it with me here.”
“Also, I won’t consider it an honor to host the Primal Dragon King inside my consciousness.”
“This is my body, my consciousness; only I get to decide. I’m not anyone’s puppet.”
“I don’t care about your so-called ‘great undertaking’; I just want you out of my head.”
The old king was momentarily stunned.
After a while, it slowly raised its dragon head, looking down proudly at the small frame before it.
“Not possible, little brat. We are now an inseparable whole.”
“Wh-what…”
“Constantine took all my powers at the time; it was you who stopped him at the last moment, allowing the last remnant of my soul to cling to your consciousness.”
Noia noticed that the dragon switched from referring to itself as ‘this king’ to ‘I’.
“It was you who saved me, and for that, I am immensely grateful.”
“But you must understand that when Primal Power falls into the hands of unsavory individuals, the continent of Samal will undoubtedly plunge back into chaos soon.”
“Moreover…that ‘Ultimate Fear’ that has existed since the dawn of chaos will also return.”
“When that time comes, you, your sisters, your mother, and your father will all fall to its hands.”
“And the only ones who can stop all of this are you and me—”
Noia stepped forward, water splashing beneath her feet, the sound of water interrupting the white dragon’s words.
“You say all this just to make me hand over my body.”
“But I stand firm on my earlier stance. My will and body belong solely to me. I’m no one’s puppet.”
“As for your so-called ultimate fear from the beginning of chaos…”
Noia slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with the majestic white dragon, speaking each word clearly, powerfully:
“No matter how strong it is, my father will always be above it.”
