Mark of the Dragon - Chapter 2
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 2
The day had come to an end.
After completing the ceremony, Lix had to sit quietly in the middle of the lake, lit only by the moonlight, and wait for the dragon to come to pick her up. Just as she was about to leave, Nyx grabbed Lix’s arm. His eyebrows furrowed though they didn’t look like eyes that wanted to pour violence on her in a fit.
He opened his mouth. With no one nearby, only she could hear it.
“Lix, run away if you can…”
Of course, there was no way she could escape.
It was impossible. He knew that, but Lix could see that what he said was sincere, not meant to be mocking by giving her hope. Nyx let go of the sacrifice’s arm, trying to press down his brows in a headache.
“There’s no need to… I’ll take care of the rest…”
“It’s okay, Nyx.”
The next Emperor.
Lix smiled as she loosened her face for the last time. Still, it was fortunate that they were able to say goodbye properly.
It was a time when magic had almost disappeared though Lix did not sink into the water and walked to the middle, making only gentle ripples. The sound of her feet splashing into the water could be heard.
When had she ever experienced something like this?
The road to her death was so familiar.
Lix still felt that it was mysterious as if they were still the magic in its heyday. With every step she took, her blood dripped from the wounds cut all over her body, like trying to lure a beast and sink into the lake.
It hurt. Would she finally die?
The dragons’ ferocity, as she was told, was as immeasurable as that of natural disasters. She wondered if she should run away right now, so when she glanced back, the wizards were wary. It’s probably impossible.
As she lowered her head and looked down at her body, the scrapes and cuts were very painful. She really didn’t know what consciousness was. Had she been thrown into the mountains like this, they would have smelled the blood and she would have been torn apart by wild beasts.
Maybe it was right to seduce the beast? Laughter came out for no reason. She thought she’d rather be unconscious.
The Empire, built on the foundation of magnificent magic, maintained its reputation even after the age of magic was over. However, the imperial family was going crazy as the times went by, probably relying too much on magic.
Some of the dispersed power was held by a few wizards, and the Emperor had no presence.
Now, even though magic was not recognized, the fact that there was the mark alone had created a mockery full of contradictions in which Lix, who had no ability, was set up as the crown princess. That, too, was just about to end.
As she heard the sound of the rushing wind, the leaves collided with each other and made a loud noise. It was kind of like applause.
Finally, finally.
She would die.
Everything in this world was spectators at her execution site. There was a ripple in the middle of the lake where Lix sat. It seemed that the dragon had come. Here and there, people fell on their knees in fear.
Taking a deep breath, the sacrifice raised her head.
She faced the blue dragon and the blue eyes that greeted her head-on. It wasn’t as scary as she thought. She just wanted the dragon to kill her at once, without pain. In fact, Lix, who had longed for death since childhood, smiled innocently as she faced the dragon.
The world was over.
Her world.
At some point, new dragons stopped being born.
At the same time, the dragon fell asleep. The fairy, who was born by borrowing magic from the dragon and preserving nature, began to disappear along with the sleeping dragons. All over the world, magic was slowly running out.
This meant that the dragon’s role had been fulfilled.
Most of the dragon elders humbly accepted that fact. It didn’t matter when or who noticed first. There was also public opinion that it was temporary, but it quickly disappeared. There was no way to deal with the inevitably dwindling number of dragons.
The number of humans was increasing and the world was dominated by them. The age of magic was thus quietly but surely headed for destruction, and it was really ‘natural.’
“What did these livestocks know?!”
“Brother… brother calm down.”
Dragons at the northern end of the continent were famous for their bad temper. In particular, when it was the second dragon of the brothers in the ‘region,’ the fairies whose habitats did not overlap with its ferocity were trembling after hearing only rumors.
The only person who stopped him was the third, who had the best personality.
The second fire dragon was angry like fire and released its unique red energy. The second and third, who said they would attack and burn the elders right away, continued to glance around the corner of the room while arguing.
There, the dragon elders and the sacrifice sent through the imperial family of the human empire were groaning. Whether it was because of the dragon’s aura or for some other reason, as soon as she met all of the brothers, she fainted and did not wake up.
“So, what exactly did those b*stards say?”
“They said they would achieve what they wanted.”
“What is that besides liberation?”
“Then that would be it.”
The second fire dragon barely suppressed his anger and asked the first golden dragon. It was because the first of the five brothers, the golden dragon, received the information from the elder.
He was also grinding his teeth.
They were elders who, for hundreds of years, ignored them no matter how much they tried to talk, and the only thing sent as a sacrifice was this kind of person. It was a miracle that the brothers didn’t tear it to death right away, as usual.
A sweet smell was coming up from the human blood.
It was the reason the dragons kept glancing at her even as they suppressed their anger, and it was the fragrance that pierced the nose that made it possible to guess why such an offering was sent and what the exact conditions were.
“But why is it covered in blood?”
“Do you know the inside of a human?”
Whether it was the heat rising or because she was being oppressed by the five’s energy, it seemed that the woman couldn’t come to her senses for any reason. The Golden Dragon looked down at the woman and brushed off the blood on her hand.
He did not know how long she would remain in this state.
The fourth blue dragon was looking down from the closest, seeing that he was worried about the condition of the mere human. Healing was the fourth specialty. He would take care of it.
The youngest clicked his tongue in the opposite corner, whereas the eldest looked away indifferently.
“Savage things. Like food thrown to beasts.”
As the youngest strode over and touched the woman with his foot, the bleeding had stopped, but there were still bloody scabs here and there.
The woman groaned in pain as he touched her with his feet without emotion as if to check if the corpse was alive. In an instant, all the brothers who were looking elsewhere turned their heads at once.
Their mouths were salivating.
“Is that the condition after all?”
“That’s why they sent this offering.”
The woman’s posture changed, revealing her patterned back. It was clear. All dragons had lived for a long time, but this was the first time they had seen such a clear mark. Of course, this was the first time that they had encountered the mark directly.
It was a game that was cut off a long time ago. It was also the reason why all the brothers were exiled to the far north.
Dragons were, by nature, selfish, not those who care about tradition and harmony.
These five exiled dragons were unaware of the fact that it was a restraint with an appropriate pretext. The more they played with the marked bearer, the more powerful magic poured into humans. That must have been what bothered the elders.
Since the dragons’ reproduction method was cut off, it was only natural that dragons would be weeded out. Was it really enough to endow humans with magical powers, withdraw their banishment, and even offer tribute?
Dragons couldn’t reproduce with each other, so why not use the old-fashioned way to pass on to the next generation through sacrifices? Many dragons have already died, so would a new successor change anything? They couldn’t figure out what the elders wanted.
“Is she going to die like this…?”
The fourth blue dragon carefully brushed the human shoulder. It was as if those blue eyes had loosened up a bit.
“Let her die. Elders, humans, it’s fun.”
At the youngest’s grin, the first golden dragon shook his head.
Normally, while the youngest would kick out the door and go anywhere, he stuck to this room. Everyone did. Everyone complained that humans were livestock and animals, but they didn’t run out. Every time the woman groaned, their ears pricked up, and their eyes moved.
The fourth began to treat the woman’s wounds.
With the blue dragon’s blessing, not even a small scar will remain. The blue light faded, and only the moonlight coming through the window illuminated the room.
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CelesSerenity
Already setting the mood..oh my