I Raised A Black Dragon

It wasn’t until about half an hour later that Noah left Lenia’s room with Muell. Lenia had insisted that she would not die anymore despite the overwhelming pressure of the dragon’s power, but Noah panicked nonetheless as she did not know what to do with the power she suddenly acquired.

Then, when she had finally come to her senses, and came out into the hallway, she saw the first-class passengers confused, and the whole ship echoed with cries. Somewhere, a gunshot was heard, and people claimed there were bloodstains on the walls. 

Noah glanced at the grandfather clock in the middle of the stairwell. It was already past four o’clock in the morning. She began to walk through the corridor filled with passengers, and unlike before, she did not need to push her way in. The pressure around her alone prompted the people to shudder away.

Well, isn’t this a Moses’ manifestation…?

At the same time, some passengers recognized her appearance. A man called out, “Eleonora Asil?”

Upon hearing the name of the infamous witch, murmes erupted throughout the hall.

“Who? Eleonora?”

“The witch who retired and went down to the countryside?”

“The witch who was convicted with fifteen crimes?”

“Yeah, you know, the…. suspect in the disappearance of the dragon egg.” 

But the voices gradually died down as she passed by them, and soon weren’t heard anymore. Their gazes were divided in two: at Noah and at the curly-haired boy, who walked after her.

“…I might go crazy.” Noah mumbled and stood in front of the elevator with Muell. I have to open the elevator door…

Click.

“…..” The elevator door opened without a touch; it responded to Noah’s thoughts. Noah then entered the lift, thinking she had become scarier than Muell. The silver button, which was broken earlier, lit up as she stared at it. After a short while, she pressed her finger on the button headed to the fifth floor, which was the deck of the boat.

“Mu, it’s no use hiding your identity anyway, right?”

While the elevator ascended, Noah lowered her head and made eye contact with Muell. His deep red eyes were gleaming more than ever, and his clenched fists seemed eager to explore a lot of things, and at the same time, they seemed to hold back on what they wanted to do.

Perhaps because the imprint was completed, Noah could easily understand what Muell wanted right now.

It wasn’t only Noah who had been distressed with the incomplete imprint; the little child also bore his own frustrations. Besides, Noah was now at the peak of a mental fatigue. The dragon’s power relieved her physical fatigue at once, but her mental condition remained the same: worn out.

Noah wanted to drink a cup of warm cocoa and sleep to her heart’s content, and when she awoke, there would be a butler named Kyle, who would carry her to the bathroom. When she would finish showering, there would be a delicious meal prepared before her.

Ting. The elevator stopped. Again, the door opened wide by itself. The rumors seemed to have reached the passengers on the top floor. 

When Noah appeared on the deck, there was a dreadful silence as pairs of eyes stared at her. She frowned, glancing around the deck. “I don’t think I should be here… I can’t help it. Let’s go up.”

At a distance, there was a mast so high that she felt sick just by looking at it. It was also the most suitable place. She walked towards the mast’s foot, and although there was a passage leading to it, Noah couldn’t climb on her own. 

Dismayed, Noah frowned.  “I want to go up.” 

Just by a mere statement, a shiny translucent step emerged underneath her feet. Then, another step materialized after. Soon, the crystalline steps stretched into a stairway, leading to the top of the mast. 

As Noah and Muell reached the top, the wind blew just in time. Noah’s hair gleamed a rich red, which swayed with the cool breeze. 

She shifted her gaze to the side and beheld the light of dawn, far away from the horizon. The sun was sticking out its head, tainting the calm, deep blue sea with an intense red shade. The sun’s glow painted on their faces, too.

“…It’s dawn.” Noah hugged Muell and sat him down on the railing of the mast, and once again, established an agreement.

“As I always say, you shouldn’t hurt or kill anyone. Oh, as a bonus, not without Kyle’s permission.”

The child nodded innocently and his eyes shone with great anticipation. Finally, Noah uttered a word of permission, brushing Muell’s soft curls, which also danced with the wind. “Go down and help him, Mu.”

She stared at Muell’s dark red orbs, but after a blink of an eye, the little child, who sat on the railing, disappeared without a trace. 

Something long and wide swept over the skies. There was a huge shadow on the mast where Noah stood.

She lifted her head, sweeping her disheveled waves. At the top of the mast, it stood on a pillar with a few cables intertwined — the one she named and accepted as her own with conscious volition. 

A black dragon spread out its enormous wings and glided across the pink heavens. The day marked the first appearance of a dragon in five hundred years.