I returned to my chamber after coming back from the not-so-war boutique. And here it was lying as if challenging me.
The emerald bowl sat before me, calm and innocent.
Mocking me.
I've survived Mother's lectures and Argos's doubtful eyes, yet here I am—terrified of a shiny bowl.
The pixie said, "Fill it with your blood to complete the bond."
Fill. The. Bowl.
Was he serious!? The thing was huge! I'd be a corpse before it reached halfway.
"Alright, Yurio. Calm down. You're a Darava. Dragon blood runs in your veins. You can handle a bit of bleeding."
I hope so.
I whispered like I was about to go to war.
No sword, no armor—just me, a needle, and a bowl that probably cost more than my sanity.
Ah, whatever. At least let me drop some of my blood. The pixie was right—after hearing the word dragon, people really do go crazy.
He must've been talking about me.
I took a deep breath, pricked my finger—
"Ow—!"
A single drop fell into the emerald bowl.
And the blood exploded.
The liquid inside ignited in a blinding crimson glow, swirling into patterns like living fire. The emerald veins on the bowl's surface pulsed, expanding outward as if the bowl itself were breathing.
Fuck. It. Was. Breathing.
Within seconds—seconds!—the entire bowl brimmed with molten red essence, shimmering like blood and light fused together.
I froze.
"…You're joking."
I blinked.
I stared at my finger. One drop. ONE. DROP.
"That little winged menace didn't tell me this thing was magical! I was about to sacrifice a limb!"
Damn. It's truly magical. My blood is magical.
It burned, but beautifully.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
The glow faded. Silence returned.
And me? I was left sitting there with a pricked finger, a glowing bowl, and the distinct feeling that I'd just been trolled by a pixie.
"…I love magic," I muttered, holding up the finger that started it all.
Let's be honest now—I'd gamble my life away to experience a dragon pact again. Which, let's face it, will happen.
Now—pixie, here I come!
——
I didn't bring Argos with me today. I mean—it's literally midnight. Forget it.
Walking around with a bowl of blood is already creepy enough. I should've brought him!
The basement entrance, as usual, was damp, narrow, and hidden. None other than a Darava can enter. And I still don't know why Father calls it a basement if it's such an important place! Guess that's what being a villain family is about.
Ah. Right. I almost forgot—I belong to an antagonist family.
The arrogant, powerful, and beautiful. One look at a Darava and you're bound to fall. The strongest dukedom in the empire. The Dragon Tamers.
And here it is—the said dragon, lazing around like it's on vacation. The brown-scale pixie.
The same scales I now have behind my ears. Thanks to my long hair, they're not visible.
"Oh, the Darava heir came back?"
Ah. It's cute when it's mute.
I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster,"I've brought you the bowl… filled with my blood."
The pixie stood up. Its amber eyes gleamed faintly.
Pixie: You really drank my blood and filled it with yours.
The pixie sounded surprised.
Pixie: Where did the old Yurio go?
Yurio: "Why? You prefer the old one?"
Pixie: Nah. This one's more interesting.
Yurio: "Much appreciated. Now… as you said before—I've done my part. It's your turn to make the decision. Whether you want to rot in this basement, or come outside with me and find the great dragons."
I paused, then smirked.
"The lunar royal ball is tomorrow."
Trust me, I'm a gambler now. The kind who gambles with everything. And right now, I'm gambling on this pixie—whether he'll show up at the ball or not.
Pixie: You really think you can find all of them? They're all sleeping. Some have ascended beyond dragonhood—into powers that rival the gods.
Yurio: "And they haven't seen a Darava in two centuries. They must be drooling."
I looked at the pixie as I turned to leave.
Yurio: "As you're drooling right now—just by the smell of my blood. Your eyes shine just thinking about being bonded with a Darava again."
The pixie froze. What did he think—that I didn't notice? That I didn't read him?
Dragons are obsessed with Darava bloodline just as Daravas are obsessed with dragon powers.
That's why the ancient dragon Gidorah formed the first pact with my ancestors.
Neither can live without the other.
I said one last thing as I walked away:
"I'll wait for you at the royal banquet, Pixie."
That was the first time I ever called him by his name.
And I just hope he comes. Because the red eyes and brown scales behind my ears won't be enough to restore my image in society.
I need the real being to appear.
I need the pixie to stand beside me.
And I know he will.