Nikita's Fate
The Calamity Dragon Girl, Nikita Cynthia. She was currently in a state of utter bewilderment.
The boy standing before her. Hanon Airey. He had gone so far as to disguise himself as Hania Rapiddia to appear here. But why? Amidst her confusion, a deep sense of wonder arose within Nikita.
Hanon was a good junior. He had silently helped her when she was always taking on all the work by herself. He was witty, making their conversations highly enjoyable. To be honest, out of everyone she had spoken to recently, talking to Hanon was the most fun.
Conversations with him were comfortable, and sometimes his unexpected remarks would make her burst into laughter. Though he could be a bit mischievous at times, she could feel his affection even in those moments. He often knew her to an almost bizarre extent. It had reached a point where she wondered if he was actually someone she already knew in disguise. Though that fact occasionally felt suspicious, even taking all of that into account, she couldn't bring herself to dislike Hanon.
Nikita had low self-esteem. Her life had always been filled with negativity. Even her parents didn't expect much from her. Yet, even in that environment, she had steadfastly persevered, climbing up step by step. Hanon had recognized her efforts and constantly showered her with praise. Perhaps thanks to that, her self-esteem had risen significantly of late.
It had gotten to the point where she would occasionally think, Maybe I actually did a decent job. Thanks to him, she no longer hated the mirror as much, a habit born from detesting the comment that she had nothing going for her other than her face. Lately, she even smiled sometimes when she looked at her reflection. That was how much Hanon had built up her self-esteem.
That was precisely why she didn't want to show him this ugly side of her. The sight of her being consumed by vengeance, throwing everything away just to kill someone... If Hanon saw her like this, he would surely be disappointed. She felt ashamed. She wanted to hide somewhere right this instant. She didn't want him to see her in this state. That was why she had told him not to come deep into the Demon Palace. Yet, Hanon had stubbornly followed her all the way here and was now standing right before her eyes.
Clang! Hanon's hand blade lunged toward Nikita. What on earth had he done? Hanon was radiating a fierce heat that shocked even Nikita, who was currently cloaked in the Ancient Dragon's Magic. The heat radiating from his hand blade was scorching. And the eyes staring back at her were just as burning. Nikita instinctively knew: Hanon was burning his own life force right now. He wouldn't be able to maintain this state for long.
"Senior Nikita." Hanon's hand blade moved relentlessly. His movements, which had once seemed crude, were now incredibly refined. Just how much effort had he poured in for his techniques to become this precise?
"Are you still refusing to look me in the eye?"
Nikita's body flinched. She couldn't meet his gaze. It had been like this for quite some time. Ever since Nia Cynthia's death, Nikita had avoided eye contact with everyone. And once she resolved to avenge Nia, her eyes had been fixed solely on her revenge.
Yet, Hanon had constantly tried to lock eyes with her. Whenever their paths crossed, he would smile, strike up a conversation, and treat her with kindness. Nikita had turned away from it all, closing her eyes to his warmth.
Just how selfish am I? Nikita felt a wave of self-loathing. She had ignored the heart of someone who cared for her, choosing instead to indulge only in her own emotions. And it was no different now. Her desire not to show Hanon this side of her made her turn away, trying to avoid him even as he charged straight at her.
And yet, deep down, she could not control the vengeance that still burned within her. It felt as though someone was whispering in her ear. Are you so pathetic that you can't even carry out a single act of revenge? The voice kept murmuring. It was a curse. An inescapable curse from the moment she laid hands on the Ancient Dragon's Magic. Her thirst for revenge had already spiraled far beyond her control.
Nikita's sword swung once more. A tempest of frost erupted from the blade, sweeping across the surroundings. Hanon tore through the freezing gale and lunged at her again. Sword and hand blade clashed. In that split second, their eyes met once more. His crimson eyes blazed fiercely, mirroring the flames enveloping him.
Hanon was a boy who often did the unexpected. He must have caught wind of what was happening and chased her all the way here. Perhaps that was why she felt compelled to ask.
Clang! Nikita parried Hanon's hand blade, leaving deep footprints in the snow-covered ground as she stepped back.
"...Junior, did the Third Princess put you up to this?"
Hanon was Iris's cousin. Nikita was asking if he was doing this to protect her. But even as she asked, Nikita knew the truth. Hanon's eyes were not looking at Iris.
"No."
Sure enough, Hanon denied it. His denial pierced straight into the depths of Nikita's heart.
"I am doing this because I want to stop you, Senior Nikita."
Nikita's eyes trembled.
"But... why...?"
Hanon was burning his own life force. Nikita couldn't understand why he would go to such lengths to stand in her way. No matter how she looked at it, there was absolutely no reason for Hanon to involve himself in this.
Hanon exhaled slowly, raising his hand blade once more.
"Didn't I tell you the day we first met?"
The day they first met. Nikita recalled that day on the bridge connecting to the Martial Arts Department's main building.
"I have respected your path, Senior Nikita Cynthia, since before I even enrolled."
Those words of respect. She hadn't taken them entirely to heart back then, but she still remembered the way Hanon's eyes had looked straight at her, unwavering and sincere.
"Because of... respect?" To go this far over something like that...
"Respecting someone..." The flames enveloping Hanon's body flared even more violently. "...is more than enough of a reason, isn't it?"
Hanon forced his lips upward into a strained smile. The burning heat seemed to be taking a heavy toll on him.
"...I am not someone worthy of respect."
"I don't think so."
"I am really not the kind of person you think I am, Junior."
"That's fine. If you can't see it yourself, Senior Nikita, then I will see it for you."
"I am..." Nikita clenched her fists, swallowing her rising grief. "I am..."
She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Her falling tears instantly froze into ice crystals in the bitter cold, scattering into the wind. Scales began to sprout rapidly across her skin. The Ancient Dragon's Magic had burrowed so deep into her body that it was now completely beyond her control.
The Ancient Dragon opened its maw. It froze her mind, preparing to swallow her whole. Nikita felt her consciousness slipping away. No matter how desperately she tried to hold onto the thread of her sanity, it kept slipping through her fingers.
No. If this continues, Hanon will be in danger. Nikita desperately tried to anchor her mind, but her consciousness refused to obey. She bit down on her newly sprouted fangs so hard they nearly shattered. Her body trembled violently. Yet, completely separate from her will, the tempest of frost only grew more ferocious.
"Junior... run..."
Nikita wanted to tell Hanon to run away. This was her sin. There was no reason for him to put his life on the line. But even her lips were no longer under her control.
"Once this is over, there's something I need to tell you. And I have an apology to make." Through her fading consciousness, she saw Hanon smiling as he spoke. "So, I'll see you in a bit."
Looking at that smile, a certain person suddenly flashed through Nikita's mind. A man who had once harbored feelings for her. Though his poor judgment had led to a tragic end, the smile he used to give her remained etched in her memory.
Thinking that the smile somehow resembled Hanon's, Nikita was finally swallowed whole by the Ancient Dragon's Magic.
I was out of breath, perhaps due to the intense heat of the Fire's Flame. But even colder than that was the frost piercing through the heat.
Before my eyes, Nikita had completely succumbed to the Ancient Dragon's Magic, transforming into a dragonman. The Ancient Dragon's Magic had instinctively realized that the heat I possessed was capable of burning it away.
As a result, the magic shifted its strategy, accelerating her dragonization. In the game, Nikita's death was an absolute inevitability, an unavoidable plot point. No matter what Lucas did, there was no way for him to save her.
But now, this world was reality. Lucas lacked the knowledge to stop the Ancient Dragon's Magic. I, however, possessed that knowledge.
The day I saved Nia, I already made my decision.
I am the one steering this world toward its official history. But no matter what, I cannot walk the exact same path as Lucas. Therefore, while I will guide the world toward the official history, I will paint the most ideal version of it that I desire.
I will save Nikita.
Having made my decision, I took a deep breath. The moment Nikita fully transformed into a dragonman, Akjon would reach out to seize control of her body. Even now, I could feel the Demon Palace squirming. It was proof that Akjon was coveting Nikita.
As if I'd ever let you have her.
Don't even dream of it. I have no intention of giving her to you.
Whoooooosh! At that moment, a freezing gale swept over us. Simultaneously, Nikita's eyes flared with a blinding light. She's coming. The instant I felt the premonition, Nikita vanished from sight.
My right hand blade, charged with heat, thrust forward just as the sharp ring of a sword echoed.
Crack, crack, crack! The very air froze solid, frost spreading rapidly through the void. Beyond my hand blade, I saw Nikita, shrouded in a malevolent aura. Her reason was entirely gone. Now, only a dragonman driven by pure slaughter remained.
In that instant, Nikita's jaw snapped wide open. The moment I saw it, I whipped my head to the side.
Flash! A beam of light illuminated the darkness. A ray of absolute frost grazed past, freezing a few strands of my hair. In that split second, Nikita's right knee flew upward, aiming straight for my flank.
I slammed my left elbow down to block her knee while pulling my back foot. Gathering a concentrated burst of heat in my right hand, I immediately thrust my fist toward her chest.
Boom! Before I knew it, the flat of Nikita's blade had blocked my fist. Heat and frost clashed, triggering a violent explosion. The sheer force of the blast left a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
Yet, even amidst the explosion, Nikita's sword continued to weave a deadly pattern toward me. The swordsmanship engraved into her muscle memory poured out instinctively. A diagonal slash from the left, an overhead strike from the right. The clashing of blades and hilts, her gaze, her footwork—my eyes tracked every single detail with absolute focus.
My dynamic vision was pushed to its absolute limit. Missing even a single movement would mean a fatal wound. Knowing this, I desperately traded blows with her.
Then, at some point, Nikita's sword swings began to slow down. I was no different; my body was also growing noticeably sluggish compared to before. This wasn't because our physical stamina was depleted.
Finally, it's starting.
The signs were beginning to manifest. I could feel the Ancient Dragon's Magic inside Nikita starting to panic.
No, it's not the Ancient Dragon's Magic. Deep inside Nikita, an entity that had been coiled there for a far longer period was beginning to show its bewilderment.
The bastard must have realized it by now—that even its own existence was in jeopardy. A strained smile crept onto my lips.
Deep within the Ancient Dragon's Magic lay the curse of the Ancient Dragon that had plagued the Cynthia Count family for generations. It was the very reason Nikita had to live her entire life without mana. It was the real reason Lucas could never save Nikita, and the true identity of the vicious curse that could only be purged if Nikita laid hands on the Ancient Dragon's Magic.
This bastard was the true fate bound to Nikita. And so, I had prepared the only move capable of shattering that fate.
"Looks like you're finally starting to panic a little."
I let out a ragged breath and sneered. Deep within the freezing cold, the flames had finally spread, beginning to consume even the Dragon's Vestige planted by the Frost Dragon.