Eventually, without responding to me, Ilina turns to face Ciri, her tone clipped.
"You have nothing to gain from this...forming this Bond wouldn't make you his wife." (Ilina)
Ciri tilts her head.
"Of course, Ilina. If needed, I can accept that I won't be Mizuki's mate...not in ten thousand years." (Ciri)
Ilina's eyes narrow dangerously.
"So...cozy up to my husband while you patiently wait for me to die, that it?" (Ilina)
Ciri's mouth twitches, but she remains damningly silent. Ilina scoffs, looking to me expectantly. All I can do is meet her gaze with an appalled expression.
"Ilina, I swear, that-" (Mizuki)
"It's fine...I'm calm, no need for concern." (Ilina)
Really? That'd be a first.
Ilina glances at Nina, who has been watching silently.
"Let me guess...you are totally fine with this proposal, right?" (Ilina)
Nina shrugs.
"Mizuki has made his position clear, and I intend to trust and support him. Besides, I'd be fine with another wife, if it's the right one...not that Ciri necessarily qualifies." (Nina)
She glances surreptitiously at Alto, whose jaw clenches under her knowing gaze. Meanwhile, Ilina scowls at Nina, her voice thick with sarcasm.
"How magnanimous of you...after initially stonewalling my relationship with Mizuki." (Ilina)
Nina waves dismissively.
"That was when I assumed Mizuki had a finite lifespan. Now, a fraction of his affection is still infinite." (Nina)
Ilina clicks her tongue, then moves her gaze back to Ciri. A devious grin forms on her face.
"Okay, Ciri...how about a deal?" (Ilina)
Something about Ilina's smile sends a chill up my spine, but Ciri just raises her eyebrows, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes and voice.
"Oh? I am listening..." (Ciri)
Ilina crosses her arms under her chest, cocking an eyebrow at Ciri.
"I'll allow your Bond with Mizuki – just the Bond – if you can prove that you'll respect the...hierarchy, in our little family." (Ilina)
Ciri's brow furrows, her voice curious.
"How might I do that?" (Ciri)
Ilina smirks.
"Become my maid." (Ilina)
My pupils constrict, and Ciri's own eyes widen in surprise. However, her expression quickly turns...giddy? She smiles fervently at Ilina.
"I accept." (Ciri)
I blink, stunned by the unexpected enthusiasm, while Ilina's face pales, her confidence faltering.
"Wh-What? Do you even know what that means?" (Ilina)
Ciri rises from the couch, nodding calmly.
"Indeed. The elven woman known as Cayla was a maid for your mother correct? I surmise you are essentially asking me to act as some kind of servant – preparing nourishment, wearing that uniform, and completing other tasks you ask of me. As I said, I accept." (Ciri)
Before Ilina can even wipe the stupefied look off her face, Ciri waves her hand over her chest, and her entire body is enveloped in an icy glow. When it fades, her plain, white dress...has been replaced with a maid uniform straight out of a fantasy trope.
Ciri curtsies clumsily in front of Ilina, bowing her head slightly.
"I look forward to serving my Bonded One and his mate...how should this maid address you?" (Ciri)
Seeing Ilina's gaping mouth, Nina begins laughing hysterically.
"Pahahahaha! Gods, Ilina, it's like you don't know this freak at all. Did you really expect degrading her a little to make her back down?" (Nina)
Ilina shoots Nina a scathing look, while Alto interjects in a shockingly nonplussed voice.
"You should address Ilina as 'Princess' in public settings, but 'Mistress' is acceptable in private. As for Mizuki, it's formally 'Prince' within the Kingdom, and informally 'Master'. Nina's and my honorific would be 'Lady' in public, and just 'Miss' is fine privately." (Alto)
Nina, Ilina, and I all shoot Alto bewildered looks, while Ciri just smiles and nods at Alto appreciatively. Then, she turns to me with an eager look.
"It seems everything is in order, Master. May we attempt Bonding now?" (Ciri)
The sound of her calling me 'Master' like that makes my skin crawl, and I immediately shake my head.
"First thing's first, do not call me Master. Please, I don't care what the normal protocol is supposed to be...just use my name in private." (Mizuki)
Ciri smiles happily.
"Very well...Mizuki. May we attempt Bonding now?" (Ciri)
I blink. She's like a dog with a bone, isn't she? I let out a sigh, glancing around at the other three thoughtfully. My gaze lingers especially long on Ilina.
"Ilina, are you really on board with this?" (Mizuki)
She glances at me, her expression turning conflicted for a few moments. Then, her eyes harden, and she locks an intense gaze on me.
"Did you mean what you said the other day, about how I can ask you to fix it whenever I get jealous or insecure? Even if it's absurd?" (Ilina)
I raise my eyebrows.
"Uhm...yeah? Of course I did." (Mizuki)
She smiles wryly.
"Then Bond away...just be prepared for my own unreasonable requests." (Ilina)
I give her a strained smile, my anxiety mounting at the thought of her somehow surpassing her last absurd date idea, but I nod nonetheless.
"Got it..." (Mizuki)
With that, I take a deep breath and turn to Ciri.
"Alright...how do we do this?" (Mizuki)
Ciri's lips twist into a chilling smile, and she immediately takes a seat on the room's floor. She gestures in front of her.
"Much like I imagine Nina did. Take a seat...I can do the rest." (Ciri)
I hesitantly take a seat on the floor directly across from her, so that our knees are practically touching. Suddenly, I'm having flashbacks to my Bonding with Nina, and I cast a suspicious glance at her.
"Nina, back when you did this Bonding ritual with me...that kiss you ambushed me with, you were totally lying about it being necessary, right?" (Mizuki)
Everyone snaps their heads towards Nina in surprise.
"Wait, wasn't that the first time you met him!? You...you damn horny dragon!" (Ilina)
"I confess, that is an...interesting strategy. Although, your results speak for themselves..." (Alto)
"Fufufu...how unscrupulous of you, Nina." (Ciri)
Nina glances at them all briefly, smirking, then looks at me with a playful smile.
"Oh, it was completely necessary...just, not for the Bond." (Nina)
I roll my eyes, then look back at Ciri. She's studying my face with a thoughtful expression...one that screams of problematic thoughts. Apparently, Ilina catches them as well.
"Hey...maid...don't even think about it!" (Ilina)
Ciri pushes her bottom lip out and sighs regretfully.
"Yes, Mistress..." (Ciri)
Her eyes sharpen, and the mischief disappears from her expression. She looks at me seriously.
"Okay, Mizuki, close your eyes and focus on accepting me." (Ciri)
I wince at her phrasing, but I do as she asks nonetheless. I slow my breathing, and try to internalize positive emotions about Ciri, like I once did for Nina. Unfortunately, I find it a bit more difficult.
Nina and I just had a little brawl, then she turned endearingly sweet. Ciri, on the other hand...well, sweet is not how I would describe her. Moreover, her behavior over the past few days, intentional or not, has been far more egregious than Nina trying to kill an intruding human in her nest. She attacked Ilina, and stormed the elves' royal palace.
Plus, with Nina I at least got to chat with her on a personal level for a while, and when she shared her struggles with loneliness, I even started to feel sympathetic. Meanwhile, Ciri and I haven't exactly had a heart-to-heart.
The faint sound of Ilina's and Nina's voices reaches my ears.
"Nina, nothing is happening...do you really think this can work? You said the Bond only works once, right?" (Ilina)
"Hmm...I do not know. The Bond is a divine gift, only ever intended for Elder Dragons. I cannot pretend to know for certain how it will respond under such...unique circumstances. Fufufu...perhaps the delay is merely because Mizuki has zero interest in Ciri." (Nina)
Well, she's not exactly wrong...
Ciri sighs in annoyance, snapping me from my focused state.
"I can hear you two, you know? You're wrong...I can clearly sense now that the Bond can work with Mizuki. It's just..." (Ciri)
As I open my eyes at her comment, Ciri turns to face me with her brow furrowed thoughtfully. Her voice is laced with subtle frustration.
"Mizuki...I have pushed the Bond all the way to the edge of forming, but I can't complete it alone. You must facilitate the last step by accepting it...wanting to connect with me. Yet, I can feel your lack of empathy towards me..." (Ciri)
I stiffen, then shrug awkwardly.
"I'm trying, I just...what did you expect? I can't really relate to you enough to empathize. Maybe it would help if you told me a little about yourself?" (Mizuki)
She raises her eyebrows.
"I am Cerilia, Ice Queen of the Elder Dragons, uncontested strongest of our race. I love fighting and...warm baths." (Ciri)
I blink, thrown by the last part. At least it was somewhat personal, I guess? I smile wryly.
"Uhm...that's a good start, but how about something more personal? How long have you been on Azura, and what's your life here been like? What about your life on your home planet? Why did you come here? Why are you so obsessed with fighting? Why are you willing to waste your only Bond like this?" (Mizuki)
For several moments, she doesn't move, doesn't speak. Just when I think she's ignoring me, her lips press into a thin line, and her eyes slide away from mine, distracted.
"By this world's standard, I suppose I was born somewhere around two million years ago, long before Nina. I did not know my parents long...the blink of an eye really. They were both old, perhaps even the oldest Elder Dragons on our planet. A mere decade after successfully producing me, they succumbed to vrath'lar {dragon tongue)..." (Ciri)
I'm inexplicably unable to translate the foreign word, despite the fact that I instinctively understand that it's the unfiltered language of the Elder Dragons. In other words, English has no orthologous word, no compelling familiarity with the underlying concept. Yet, I can vaguely understand its sentiment, if not its exact meaning.
I give her a puzzled look.
"They...couldn't bear to live anymore?" (Mizuki)
That's the sense I get of what the word is meant to convey – a very specific emotional state. Not depression or despair, just boredom pushed to the absolute loss of life's novelty. The bone-deep realization that you've exhausted all of your possible experiences, and only a tedious, repetitive eternity awaits you.
Ciri gives a small, humorless smile.
"Not even Elder Dragons are equipped for true immortality...perhaps it is different for Nephilim. Regardless, we all lose interest in our lives eventually – that's why there are no Elder Dragons left alive from the first generation. It's also part of why our kind will fight and even kill one another for sport, especially as we age. Anything to feel something again, to introduce a spark of ambition or excitement into our lives. Or at worst, to die a glorious death in battle, instead of silently in resigned boredom.
"I, too, walked this path for most of my existence. Unfortunately, I am cursed with absurd strength, even among my race. From shortly after I fully matured, I've never known defeat...long since forgotten the excitement of being overpowered, of being shown there are greater heights to strive towards. So, even sooner than my parents, I began to feel vrath'lar coming for me as well. That was when, along with Nina and the others, I accepted Azazel's offer to relocate here.
"Alas, I quickly realized that Azura was not the cure for my ailment. It took me a short few millennia to exhaust whatever novelty I thought it possessed. And so, I entered my human form, preparing to use its relative weakness to end my existence. For whatever reason, though, I found myself just hesitant enough to linger on the edge of decisive action. The result was me spending weeks in my human form, scrutinizing my decision, until I began to notice...well, let's just say I've learned to appreciate this body. In a way, it's rekindled my will to live, to experience.
"Now, I've met you – the only mortal in my entire, long existence who's ever bested me. Ever made me feel something so strongly, even if it's pain and futility. Someone clearly full of possibilities, passions, and ambitions. That's why I'd like the Bond with you, not just because it's one of the few things I never experienced, but because I know you'll be a new source of emotions through it." (Ciri)